Former doctoral students

  • 2023

    Dr. Anton Block

    Dr. Anton Block successfully completed his doctorate on 13 November 2023. The topic of the doctoral thesis was: "Investigating the dynamics of technological change: patent analysis in the battery industry".  The supervisor of the doctoral thesis was Prof. Dr. Jens Leker.

    Dr. Moritz Gutsch

    Dr. Moritz Gutsch successfully completed his doctorate on 9 November 2023. The topic of the doctoral thesis was: "Co-assessment of costs and environmental impacts for low and negative carbon dioxide technologies".  The supervisor of the doctoral thesis was Prof. Dr. Jens Leker.

  • 2022

    Dr. Ruth Herrmann

    Dr. Ruth Herrmann successfully completed her doctorate on March 24, 2022. The topic of the doctoral thesis was: "From Micro to Macro - Harmonizing the lndividual Perspective of lnnovation Management".  The supervisor of the doctoral thesis was Prof. Dr. Jens Leker.

    Dr. Magdalena Kohut

    Dr. Magdalena Kohut successfully completed her PhD on February 3, 2022. The topic of the doctoral thesis was: "The role of R&D-intensive start-ups during collaborations in the context of open innovation".  The supervisor of the doctoral thesis was Prof. Dr. Jens Leker.

    Dr. Christiane Haschka Fortes

    Dr. Christiane Haschka Fortes successfully completed her doctorate on January 11, 2022. The topic of the doctoral thesis was: "New Product Development Projects: understanding decision-making in context of speed". The supervisor of the doctoral thesis was Prof. Dr. Jens Leker.

    Dr. Lukas Mauler

    Dr. Lukas Mauler completed his PhD on "Strategies towards a decarbonised and battery-powered future: battery technologies, cost potentials and their implications for cost-effective technology selection" on January 11, 2022. The supervisor of the doctoral thesis was Prof. Dr. Jens Leker.

  • 2021

    © Privat

    Dr. Matthew Greenwood

    Dr. Matthew Greenwood completed his PhD in November 2021 on "Strategic Assessment of Lithium Ion Battery Technologies - Methods and Case Studies of Cost, Supply and Development of State-of-the-Art Lithium Ion Battery Cell Components".

     

     

     

     

    © Privat

     

    Dr. Marcel Ahlfänger

    Dr. Marcel Ahlfänger completed his doctorate on "Managing Tensions in Open Innovation - An Empirical Analysis" in November 2021.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    © Privat


    Dr. Marius Chofor Asaba

    Dr. Marius Chofor Asaba completed his PhD in July 2021 on "Promoting sustainable development of the lithium-ion battery: an analysis of certain aspects of the supply chain".

     

     

     

     

    © Privat


    Dr. Tim Smolnik

    Dr. Tim Smolnik completed his doctorate in May 2021 on the topic of "Value-creating effects of spin-offs - A cross-perspective analysis with a special focus on the chemical-pharmaceutical industry".

     

     

     

     

     

    © Privat


    Dr. Thorsten Bergmann

    Dr. Thorsten Bergmann completed his doctorate in March 2021 on the topic of "Possibilities and limits of a start-up accelerator for the foundation and development of new companies in the process industry".

  • 2020

    © Fabian Duffner

    Dr. Fabian Duffner
    Associate Partner at Porsche Consulting

    Dr. Fabian Duffner completed his doctorate on the topic "Cost-efficient battery manufacturing: pushing the boundaries for ecological and economic convergence" in June 2020.

     

     

     

     

    © Privat

    Dr. Thomas Hamadi
    Infineon Technologies AG, Warstein

    Dr. Thomas Hamadi completed his doctorate in January 2020 on the topic of "Identifying and exploiting innovation potential in organic and printed electronics".

  • 2019

    © Marc Wentker

     

    Dr. Marc Wentker

    Dr. Marc Wentker completed his doctorate in November 2019 on the topic of "Technology Assessment of Lithium-Ion Batteries - A Mutlidemensional Approach to Compare Technological Potentials".

     

     

     

     

     

    © Oliver Krätzig

    Dr. Oliver Krätzig
    Technology Manager, Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionstechnologie IPT - Forschungsfertigung Batteriezelle, Münster

    Dr. Oliver Krätzig completed his doctorate in September 2019 on the topic of "Overcoming technology transfer barriers in German battery research".

     

     

     

     

    © Privat

     

    Dr. Marius Stoffels
    Merck AG

    Dr. Marius Stoffels completed his doctorate on "Managing digital transformation in the process industries" in July 2019.

     

     

     

    © Privat

     

    Dr. Lukas Aaldering
    Bayer Inhouse Consulting

    Dr. Lukas Aaldering completed his PhD on "Understanding Dynamic Business Environments - Data-driven approaches for high-tech industries" in June 2019.

     

     

     

     

    © Gerrit Knispel


    Dr. Gerrit Knipsel
    BearingPoint GmbH

    Dr Gerrit Knispel completed his doctorate on the topic "How to Leverage Digital Technologies through Business Model Innovation - The Role of the Top Management Team, Dynamic Capabilities, and Enviromental Turbulence" in April 2019. 

  • 2018

    © Birte Golembiewski


    Dr. Birte Golembiewski
    Evonik Technology & Infrastructure GmbH

    Dr. Birte Golembiewski completed her doctorate on the topic "Determinants of and Relationships between Corporate Environmental Management, Innovation and Performance - A comprehensive study of the chemical industry" in December 2018.

     

     

     

    © Leonard Stuckenborg

     

    Dr. Leonard Stuckenborg
    LVM Versicherung

    Dr. Leonard Stuckenborg completed his doctorate on the topic "German FinTech performance - Market segmentation and empirical evidences of valuation opportunities" in November 2018.

     

     

     

    © Johannes Klein

     

    Dr. Johannes Klein
    Roland Berger GmbH, Munich

    Dr. Johannes Klein completed his doctorate in November 2018 on the topic of "Attracting professional and crowd investors through effective signalling - Evidence of success factors for FinTechs in German start-up markets". He now works as a project manager at Roland Berger GmbH.

     

     

     

     

    © Jan-André Pramann

     

    Dr. Jan-André Pramann
    Volkswohl Bund Versicherungen

    Dr. Jan-André Pramann completed his doctorate in November 2018 on the topic of "The cash flow statement in the transition from GAS 2 to GAS 21 - empirical findings on switching behaviour".

     

     

    © Ménès Kum

     

    Dr. Ménès Etingue Kum
    Deloitte Consulting GmbH

    Dr. Ménès Etingue Kum completed his PhD on the topic "Sucess Factors of Future Orientation Practices: Value Contribution of Corporate Foresight and Organizational Agility on Performance, in the new Context of Digitization" in February 2018.

  • 2017

    © Sebastian Eidam


    Dr. Sebastian Eidam
    Alcimed GmbH

    Dr. Sebastian Eidam completed his doctorate on the topic of "Stakeholder management in the cooperative development of medicinal products" in June 2017.

     

     


    Dr. Mathias Ollmann
    REWE Group, Cologne

    Dr. Mathias Ollmann completed his doctorate in April 2017 on the topic of "Factors influencing the crisis resistance of companies - An empirical analysis of performance paths based on modern balance sheet analysis". He is now working as a project manager M&A at REWE Group.

  • 2016

     

    Dr. Hauke Simon
    Boston Consulting Group

    Dr. Hauke Simon completed his doctorate on the topic "Data-driven discovery of growth fields - Evaluating opportunities in collaboration and new product development" in October 2016.

    Dr. Hangzi Zhu
    Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH

    Dr. Hangzi Zhu completed her doctorate on the topic "Crowdsourcing in the Front End of Innovation - Empirical Evidence from the Chemical Industry" in February 2016.

  • 2015

    © Nicole vom Stein


    Dr. Nicole Dürr (née vom Stein)

    Dr. Nicole Dürr (nèe vom Stein) completed her doctorate in December 2015 on the topic of "Technological distance in collaborative research projects - their calculation, perception and interactions".

     

     

     

     

     

    Dr. Xiaoheng Yu
    Shentong Automotive Europe GmbH

    Dr. Xiaoheng Yu completed her doctorate in November 2015 on the topic of "Identification and analysis of technological competitiveness based on patent information - a comparative study between Germany and China using the example of electromobility".

     

     

    Dr. David Sonius
    Flint Group, Frankfurt am Main

    Dr. David Sonius completed his doctorate in November 2015 on the topic "Dynamics of corporate crises: An empirical study on the reaction of credit institutions and crisis companies in the run-up to the manifest crisis stage".                        

     

    Dr. David Elvers
    Camelot Management Consultants, Köln

    Dr. David Elvers completed his doctorate on "Cooperation in New Product Development - A Value Chain Oriented Approach" in October 2015.

     

     

    Dr. Chie hoon Song
    PostDoc am Helmholtz Institut Münster

    Dr. Chie hoon Song completed his doctorate on the topic of "Early detection of converging technologies" in March 2015.

  • 2014

    © privat


    Dr. Gerrit Böhm
    Volkswohl Bund Versicherungen, Dortmund

    Dr. Gerrit Böhm completed his doctorate in November 2014 on the topic of "Development of business model-specific balance sheet rating models - performance enhancement through balance sheet homogenisation".

     

     

    Dr. Carsten Gelhard
    TÜV NORD Systems GmbH & Co. KG, Essen

    Dr. Carsten Gelhard completed his doctorate in October 2014 on the topic "A Backward and Forward Consideration of the External Value Co-Creation Process: Performance Implications in the Short- and Long-term". Afterwards, Dr. Gelhard accepted a position as Assistant Professor for Product-Market Relations at the University of Twente (Netherlands). His research focused on strategy, innovation and marketing. He is currently employed at TÜV NORD Systems GmbH & Co. KG in Essen.

    Jun.-Prof. Dr. Stephan von Delft
    Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster

    Dr. Stephan von Delft completed his doctorate on "An Integrative Perspective on Generic Business Model Design Themes: The Linkage between Strategic Orientation and Dynamic Capabilities" in October 2014. He is currently Jun-Prof. at the WWU Münster.

     

     

    Dr. Nina Preschitschek
    Mc. Kinsey & Company, Inc., Düsseldorf

    Dr. Nina Preschitschek completed her doctorate in October 2014 on the topic of "Effects of raw material change on existing technology, market and industry boundaries".  After her doctorate, Dr. Preschitschek initially worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn (Prof. Bröring) and is now a research analyst at Mc. Kinsey & Company, Inc. in Düsseldorf.

    © Julia Schwarzlose

    Dr. Julia Elbert (geb. Schwarzlose)
    Senior Manager Susutainability Procurement, Evonik Industries AG, Hanau

    Dr. Julia Elbert completed her doctorate in October 2014 on the topic of "Teams in New Business Development - Increasing Team Performance through Ambidextry".

     

     

     

     

     

     

    © Manuel Bauer

    Dr. Manuel Bauer
    Global Head of Innovation & Smart Home; LEDVANCE GmbH

    Dr. Manuel Bauer completed his doctorate in March 2014 on the topic of "Managing a portfolio of innovation capabilities - A systems approach in and for the Chemical Industry". After his doctorate, Dr. Bauer worked for Clariant International Ltd. (Switzerland) and then joined Innosight Consulting S.a.r.l. as a manager. He is currently Global Head of Innovation & Smart Home at LEDVANCE GmbH.

     

     

     

     

     

    Dr. Jan Henrik Wosnitza
    Risk management in a German bank

    Dr. Jan Henrik Wosnitza completed his doctorate on the topic "Analysis of log-periodic power law patterns in time series related to credit risk" in March 2014.

  • 2013


    Dr. Bernd Galler
    Risk management in an Austrian bank

    Dr. Bernd Galler completed his doctorate in July 2013 on the topic of "Scarce Data based Credit Risk Assessment - Evaluating Missing Data Methods in PD-estimation by Logistic Regression".

     

     

    Dr. Nathalie Sick
    Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Technology Management in the School of Information, Systems and Modelling within the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Technology Sydney
    https://www.uts.edu.au/staff/nathalie.sick

    Dr. Nathalie Sick completed her doctorate in June 2013 on the topic of "Diffusion of Renewable Energy Technologies - An Empirical Analysis with Special Consideration of Commodity Prices".

    Dr. Markus Weiß
    DATEV eG 

    Dr. Markus Weiß completed his doctorate in January 2013 on the topic of "Risk factors in the tax consulting profession - an empirical analysis". He started at FAMILIENWERTE GmbH Steuerberatungsgesellschaft in business management consulting for entrepreneurial families and is now working at DATEV eG as a consultant to the Chief Digital Officer.

  • 2012


    Dr. Christos Lecou
    Covestro Deutschland AG

    Dr. Christos Lecou completed his doctorate in July 2012 on the topic of "Promoting ideas in the early phase of the innovation process, continuation and break-up decisions in the front end". Dr. Lecou works for Covestro as Inudstrial Marketing Manager.

     

    Dr. Steffen Kanzler
    Evonik Industries AG

    Dr. Steffen Kanzler completed his doctorate in June 2012 on the topic of "Nanotechnology research between Chinese and German scientists - network effects in R&D cooperation". He started as Project Manager Strategy and Controlling at Evonik Industries AG, spent 4 years as an expat in the United States and is now Marketing Director - Coatings at Evonik.

     

     

    Dr. Martin Kirchner
    Evonik Technology & Infrastructure GmbH

    Dr. Martin Kirchner completed his doctorate in March 2012 on the topic of "The Corporate Sustainability Map - An Approach to Measuring Corporate Sustainability Performance". Dr. Kirchner works as Head of Life Cycle Management at Evonik.

     

     

    Dr. Sebastian Kortmann
    Amsterdam Business School, Netherlands

    Dr. Sebastian Kortmann completed his doctorate on the topic "The relationship between organizational structure and organizational ambidexterity: a comparison between manufacturing and service firms" in January 2012.

  • 2011

    Dr. David Große Kathöfer
    Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG, Münster

    Dr. David Große Kathöfer completed his doctorate on "The Not-Invented-Here Syndrome in Science - Relevance, Causes, Consequences" in November 2011 and now works as Head of Corporate Development/Responsible Gaming at Westdeutsche Lotterie GmbH & Co. OHG. 

     

     

    Dr. Paul Markus Konrad
    Fischer l Konrad GmbH in Münster

    Dr. Paul Markus Konrad completed his doctorate on "The Calibration of Rating Models Estimation on the Probability of Default based on Advanced Pattern Classification Methods" in November 2011.  As a partner of Fischer l Konrad GmbH, which specialises in business valuation and value enhancement management, he currently supervises consulting projects in the areas of operative controlling and industry information/peer group research.

    Prof. Dr. Andreas Del. Re (geb. Fischer)
    Fischer l Konrad GmbH, Münster
    NBS Northern Business School in Hamburg

    Prof. Dr. Andreas T. Del Re completed his doctorate in June 2011 on the topic of "Development of a cross-national balance sheet rating model - An empirical study based on German and Italian annual financial statements". He is a partner at Fischer l Konrad GmbH, which specialises in business valuation and value enhancement management.

    Dr. Irina Tiemann
    Carl von Ossietzky Universität in Oldenburg

    Dr. Irina Tiemann completed her doctorate on "Supplier Management in New Product Development" in July 2011. She is a member of the Oldenburg Center for Sustainability Economics and Management (CENTOS). Her research focuses on questions of institutionalised incentive and support mechanisms for start-ups in the field of climate protection and sustainability. As part of the start-up initiative "Startup4climate", she is developing new start-up incentives as well as new start-up planning instruments for climate-friendly and sustainability-oriented start-ups.

  • 2010

    Dr. Clive-Steven Curran
    Fresenius Medical Care

    Dr. Clive-Steven Curran completed his PhD in September 2010 on "The Anticipation of Converging Industries: A Concept Applied to Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods". Dr. Curran is currently Director Program Project Management, Global Therapy Program In Center at Fresenius Medical Care North America.

  • 2009

     

    Dr. Benjamin Niedergassel
    Medical doctor, Schweiz

    Dr. Benjamin Niedergassel completed his doctorate on "Knowledge Sharing in Collaborative R&D Projects" in November 2009. In addition to his doctorate, he successfully completed his medical studies.

    © Verena Thiemann

    Dr. Verena Thiemann, geb. Holtorf
    Retail company, Bonn

    Dr. Verena Thiemann, born Holtorf, completed her doctorate in November 2009 on the topic of "Teams in the Front End - Increasing Entrepreneurial Behaviour through Structured Teams". She then worked at Henkel AG und Co. KGaA in the Persil Brand Management department.

     

     

     

     

    Dr. Jan-Henning Trustorff
    Risk management in a major German bank

    Dr. Jan-Henning Trustorff completed his doctorate in November 2009 on the topic of "The Use of Support Vector Machines for the Creditworthiness Assessment of Companies".

     

     

    © Kehrel

    Professor Dr. Uwe Kehrel
    FOM Hochschule Münster
    Chair of Business Administration, in particular Controlling

    Professor Dr. Uwe Kehrel completed his doctorate in April 2009 on the topic of "Controlling in clinical research - an empirical analysis of science-initiated clinical trials". Subsequently, Mr. Kehrel worked at the Institute for Business Management as a temporary academic councillor and then as a temporary senior academic councillor and currently holds a professorship at FOM.

     

     


    Dr. Danyang Liu

    Dr. Danyang Liu completed her doctorate in January 2009 on the topic of "Success factors of internal networks in the chemical industry".

  • 2008

    Dr. Michael Leßing

    Dr. Michael Leßing completed his doctorate in December 2008 on the topic of "Technology transfer and "intra firm" diffusion of knowledge-intensive synergetic R&D process technologies using the example of computational chemistry technologies".

  • 2007

     

    Dr. Philipp Herzog
    Sunforce Solutions International Inc.

    Dr. Philipp Herzog completed his doctorate on "Open and Closed Innovation: Different Cultures for different Strategies" in November 2007.

     

     

    Dr. Dirk Mahlstedt
    Ohly GmbH

    Dr. Dirk Mahlstedt completed his doctorate in November 2007 on the topic of "IFRS and Balance Sheet Rating - An Empirical Study Based on First-time IFRS Users" and is currently a Senior Controller at Ohly GmbH.

     

     

    Dr. Martin Bade
    Self-employed management consultant in retail

    Dr. Martin Bade successfully completed his doctorate on "The Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management Instrument for a Medical Faculty" at Faculty 5 in March 2007.

     

     

    © Andrea van der Velde

    Dr. Andrea van der Velde
    BASF SE, Ludwigshafen

    Dr. Andrea van der Velde completed her PhD on "Drug Rescue in Drug Discovery - Open-Market Innovation in Pharmaceutical R&D" in March 2007.

     

     

  • 2006

    Dr. Eva Pieper (geb. Scheffczyk)
    Stadtwerke Düsseldorf AG

    Dr. Eva Pieper completed her doctorate in December 2006 on the topic of "Investigation of legal over-indebtedness in the audit of annual financial statements in the context of the going-concern assumption".

    Dr. Birgit Botterweck
    Officer at a federal authority

    Dr. Birgit Botterweck completed her thesis on "Macroeconomic Factors in Internal Rating - An Empirical Investigation into the Review of Corporate Creditworthiness" in December 2006.

     

     

    Dr. Stefan Picker

    Dr. Stefan Picker completed his doctorate in December 2006 on the topic of "Innovation and cooperation management in biotechnology - technology sourcing and the creation of new resources". After working for Henkel for 13 years in various positions ranging from product development to marketing and sales management, Dr. Picker is now Global Managing Director for tesa SE in the automotive sector.

     

     

    Dr. Saskia Rühmer
    Bayer AG in Leverkusen

    Dr. Saskia Rühmer completed her doctorate in July 2006 on the topic of "Innovation cooperation in nanotechnology - from the smallest particles to value creation networks".

  • 2005

    Dr. Franziska Isele
    MAN

    Dr. Franziska Isele completed her doctorate in October 2005 on the topic of "Success factors in process innovations in the paint sector in France, Germany and the USA".

     

     

    Professor Dr Stefanie Bröring
    Institute for Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn

    Prof. Dr. Stefanie Bröring completed her doctorate on "The Front End of Innovation in Converging Industries: The case of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods" in March 2005. She first worked as a project manager for Degussa AG (Creavis Technologies & Innovation), later as a management consultant at Rölfs Partner Management Consultants GmbH and then as a professor for Food Chain Management at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.

  • 2004

    Dr. Carsten Schaffer (geb. Vehring)
    Siegfried AG

    Dr. Carsten Schaffer (née Vehring) completed his doctorate in October 2004 on the topic of "Identifying and Evaluating Success Factors for Basic Innovations in the Chemical Industry - An Analysis Using the Polymers Polyethylenimine and Polyvinylamine as an Example". He most recently worked for Merck KGaA in Darmstadt and is now employed as Senior Manager Strategy and M&A at Siegfried AG.

  • 2003

    Dr. Arne Fischer
    Sparkasse in Harburg-Buxtehude

    Dr. Arne Fischer completed his doctorate in September 2003 on the topic "Use of Qualitative Features in the Credit Rating of Corporate Clients - An Empirical Analysis Using the Example of a Bank's Internal Rating System".

     

    Professor Dr. Hans-Jürgen Wieben
    FHDW Fachhochschule für die Wirtschaft, Hannover

    Prof. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Wieben completed his doctorate in September 2003 on the topic of "Credit Rating and Risk Management: A Systematic Comparison of Two Analysis Concepts". He worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers AG in Hanover in the area of corporate control and risk management and now holds a professorship for accounting and risk management at the FHDW Hanover.

     

    Dr. Nicole Hamelau
    Biesterfeld Spezialchemie GmbH in Hamburg

    Dr. Nicole Hamelau completed her doctorate in July 2003 on the topic of "Competitive Analysis - An Instrument of Strategic Corporate Management". She is currently Managing Director at Biesterfeld.